IU to play at Syracuse in Big Ten/ACC Challenge

By Jordan Littman | IDS IU football beat writer

Posted at 2:08 pm on May 8, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

IU’s men’s basketball team will play at Syracuse on Tuesday, Dec. 3 in the 2013 Big Ten/ACC Challenge, ESPN announced Wednesday afternoon.

The matchup will be a rematch of the 2013 NCAA Tournament game in which the 4-seed Orange eliminated the 1-seed Hoosiers in the Sweet 16 by a 61-50 margin. Though Syracuse has been in the Big East since 1979, the 2013-14 season will mark its first in the ACC.

In the all-time series between the two schools, IU has only won one of five matchups – the lone victory being the 1987 National Championship Game. The Hoosiers have never played the Orange at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, however.

Heading into the 2013 season, the Orange will be losing three of their top four scorers but will return their leading point-scorer senior forward C.J. Fair. Syracuse will also be adding five recruits to its roster, including former IU signee Ron Patterson and five-star guard Tyler Ennis.

The game’s tip-off time and broadcast channel have yet to be announced.

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Three-man weave: IU’s season ends with loss to Syracuse

By Michael Norman | IDS Men's Basketball Columnist

Posted at 2:40 am on March 29, 2013 | | | Comments (3)

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Zeller and Oladipo unsure of futures after Sweet 16 loss

By Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown, IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 1:56 am on March 29, 2013 | | | Comments (4)

Some may say their fates have been sealed for quite some time, but junior guard Victor Oladipo and sophomore forward Cody Zeller would give no insight into the extent of their futures with the IU men’s basketball team after Thursday night’s 61-50 loss to Syracuse in the Sweet 16 in Washington D.C.

Both players managed double-figure games – Oladipo leading the Hoosiers with 16 points and Zeller adding 10 – but neither could get the IU offense in a rhythm that could fight back against the Syracuse 2-3 zone.

Zeller, touted as the nation’s preseason Player of the Year, shot just 3-of-11 Thursday, struggling at times to get a shot more than a couple feet in the air before it was blocked by a Syracuse defender.

Oladipo had his own struggles, giving up three turnovers. Many times this season, the junior was IU’s catalyst and source of energy, but even with 16 points, he could never get his teammates into much of a flow.

Now, the speculation begins as to if Thursday night’s loss will be both of their final collegiate basketball games.

Continue reading »

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Temple-IU preview with Temple’s Owls Sports Update

By Michael Norman | IDS Men's Basketball Columnist

Posted at 1:32 pm on March 24, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

Sections: Men's Basketball | | | Comments (0)

Oladipo gets a history lesson on James Madison

By Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown, IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 5:51 pm on March 21, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

As the name hints, March Madness doesn’t come without its share of memorable moments, both on and off the court, and in Dayton, Ohio Thursday, during the IU men’s basketball team’s pre-game press conference those in attendance witnessed one of the best media-player face offs so far this season.

After taking several questions on Friday’s opponent, James Madison, as well as questions about the weight of going in as a No. 1 seed, one member of the media asked junior guard Victor Oladipo some “James Madison trivia” in an attempt to bring about a few humorous quotes.

Oladipo took the question in stride, correctly naming James Madison’s conference (the Colonial Athletic Association), their mascot (the Dukes) and where the team is from (Virginia).

“They’re in the CAA.  I think they’re like the Dukes, James Madison Dukes.  What was the other one?  They’re from Virginia, the DMV.  Yeah, I’m from there, so I know a little somethin’‑somethin’ about James Madison.”

And then the chuckles began. Continue reading »

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Oladipo, Zeller named USBWA All-Americans

By Max McCombs | IDS Managing Editor and Men's Basketball Beat Writer

Posted at 5:07 pm on March 18, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

With the NCAA tournament looming, individual accolades keep rolling in for the Hoosiers.

Junior guard Victor Oladipo and sophomore forward Cody Zeller were each named U.S. Basketball Writers Association All-Americans on Monday, two of three players from the Big Ten to be selected.

Oladipo made the first team after averaging 13.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game this season.

All five first team selections were underclassmen.

Zeller averaged 16.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game this season.

IU had not had a player, let alone two in one year, named to the team since 2008 when D.J. White was on the second team. IU has not had two on the team since the vaunted 1976 championship season. Both Kent Benson and Scott May were selected that year.

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Crean, players talk NCAA Tournament

By Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown, IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 8:29 pm on March 17, 2013 | | | Comment (1)

After the Selection Sunday show completed, IU men’s basketball media had the chance to talk to several players, as well as IU Coach Tom Crean, on securing a No. 1 seed in the tournament, falling out of the Midwest region, the team’s possible opponents in Dayton next weekend, and much more.

Victor Oladipo on the possibility of losing to Wisconsin Saturday took them out of the Midwest region:

“Probably. I can’t go back and change time. I can’t go back and change the past…We’re use looking forward to getting to Ohio and getting things started.”

Christian Watford on moving on after Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin:

“You’ve gotta refocus going into the tournament. It’s one game and you’re done.”

Cody Zeller on what he thought it could be like to be a team on the bubble on Selection Sunday:

“If we’re one of the bubble teams, I can’t imagine watching and not knowing if you’re getting in.”

Crean on the satisfaction of securing a No. 1 seed this year:

“It has been a long, hard process to get a program back that’s considered one of the best in the country…The fact that we’re a No. 1 seed is a big deal. It speaks for itself.”

Continue reading »

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Notes from Selection Sunday

By Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown, IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 7:51 pm on March 17, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

All Sunday, IU fans were forced to wait and wonder where exactly the Hoosiers would be placed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament. A win against Wisconsin in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, you would think, would have nearly solidified them as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, where they would have had to travel just about an hour to Indianapolis and Lucas Oil Stadium for the second weekend of the tournament.

But with the 68-56 upset loss to Wisconsin Saturday in Chicago, the Hoosiers fell to the third overall No. 1 seed, slated in the East region to play the winner of LIU Brooklyn and James Madison on Friday in Dayton, Ohio Friday.

With that, here are other notes on the East region, the other six Big Ten teams in the tournament and the rest of the 2013 NCAA Tournament bracket.

• The teams in the East region, in order of seeds are: No. 1 IU, No. 2 Miami (FL), No. 3 Marquette, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 5 UNLV, No. 6 Butler, No. 7 Illinois, No. 8 N.C. State, No. 9 Temple, No. 10 Colorado, No. 11 Bucknell, No. 12 California, No. 13 Montana, No. 14 Davidson, No. 15 Pacific, No. 16 LIU Brooklyn/James Madison.
• IU has lost just six games this season, but two of their losses have come from teams in the East region. The Hoosiers lost 88-86 to Butler at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Dec. 15, and they also fell on the road 74-72 to Illinois Feb. 7 in Champaign, Ill. Continue reading »

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IU men’s basketball No. 1 seed in the East region

By Nathan Brown | Nathan Brown, IDS men's basketball beat writer

Posted at 6:37 pm on March 17, 2013 | | | Comments (0)

CBS just announced Sunday evening that the IU men’s basketball team is the third overall No. 1 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and will play in the East region, going through Washington D.C. to get to the Final Four in Atlanta.

Louisville was selected by the committee as the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, placing them as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region.

The Hoosiers were either ranked No. 1 or in the top five for nearly the entire season, and it looked like they had the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region all but wrapped up, meaning they would play the second weekend just an hour or so away from Bloomington in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But the Hoosiers were upset in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament by Wisconsin on Saturday in Chicago, 68-56, and as Louisville moved up the rankings after a midseason skid to take a share of the Big East regular season championship, IU’s road to the Final Four through Indianapolis seemed a little shaky.

After falling behind as many as 16 points yesterday to Syracuse, who is slated as the No. 4 seed in the East region, last night in the Big East final, Louisville stormed back to take the post season title with a 78-61 win, ending the game on a 49-16 run.

With that, fans were left wondering all Sunday if IU had lost its hold on the Midwest region No. 1, even with winning the regular season title in what most have called the “toughest conference in the country”.

It appears the selection committee took more stock in post season play and how hot teams have been as of lately, both categories which IU has lacked in lately, coming into the NCAA Tournament on a 3-3 skid.

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Three-man weave: IU losses to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament

By Michael Norman | IDS Men's Basketball Columnist

Posted at 6:02 pm on March 16, 2013 | | | Comment (1)

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